Together at Last
by CrystalBookworm
Summary: COMPLETE! About a week after the Flock moved to Washington D.C., Fang found his parents and left the Flock. Max is heartbroken and decides just to live it day by day. Rated T just in case. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Angel! Get a move on!" I shouted, pacing up and down in the hallway. For once, I had planned out a schedule (maybe) and I needed everything to be on time for it to work. And Angel was making us late; something I did _not _like.

A minute later, my baby came flying down the hall. Well, she's technically not my _baby _baby, but close enough. She's the youngest of the Flock and I had taken care of her since she was just three years old and after Jeb had rescued us but then later "disappeared".

Angel had, in her hurry, forgotten to dress in her favorite fluffy pink sweater and was instead in a plain purple one. Her face was round with red cheeks. Her curly blonde hair was bouncing off her shoulders as she sprinted down the hall.

"Slow down," I scolded. "We're in a hotel, you know. People are still sleeping."

"Sorry," Angel mumbled, sliding into our small, tight group.

"Everyone here?" I glanced around to do a quick survey. Nudge, who had wild brown hair and mocha-colored skin, was standing right behind me. After she had turned thirteen two months ago, she had started to act more and more like a regular teenager; which is good…if you don't count all the extra money I have to spend on makeup and "fashion clothes". Take now for instance: She was dressed in tight black skinny jeans and an equally tight and showy shirt.

"You know," I said, "you're going to have to cover up your wings. Actually, you need to cover them up _now_. We're in a _hotel_. Where there are _normal _people."

Nudge rolled her eyes. "I know_ that_, Max. That's why I have this." She holds up a long, flowing jacket that was thin but would definitely do the duty Nudge – aka I – bought it for: to cover up her twelve-foot tawny wings.

I sighed and moved on. Next was Gazzy; also known as the Gasman. I won't go into any further details. Gazzy has short blond hair and light blue eyes, just like his sister; Angel. Both the eight-year-old and ten-year-old are amazingly sweet and cute, but I prefer not to think what'll happen once they reach their teens. They're the only blood siblings among us, but everyone thinks we're one big family. That's _usually _happy. Speaking of which…..

"You can't bring Total," Iggy was saying. Iggy's sixteen, just like Fang and I, but, although he's six months younger than me and two of Fang, he's 6'4" and has the longest wingspan of us all; a good ol' fourteen feet. And even the whitecoats who "created" us and experimented with us like we were nothing but _things_, had to admit that he was a genius.

"But we always do," Angel whined. She was hugging the black Scottie-like dog like it was her life line. "And Total _wants _to go."

"Yeah," Total added. Yeah yeah. A talking dog. So what?

"You always make Max carry him after, like, five minutes," Iggy pointed out. He had his arms crossed over my chest

"You're talking about me like I'm not even here!" Total complained. Did I mention that this _dog _has attention issues? "Besides, my wings aren't fully grown. I can't fly on my own yet." Total started to raise his half-grown black wings but I sent him a look that said _You're a talking dog so you probably don't need any more attention_.

"I promise I won't this time," Angel begged. "Just let me bring him. He'll be so lonely here. Please, Iggy?" She looked up at him with big, round saucer-like eyes. Pleading eyes. Bambi eyes; her and Nudge's trademark you'll-have-to-give-me-anything-I-want-now eyes.

"Yeah. What am I supposed to do? I can't even roam the hotel."

Iggy just smiled. "Your eyes don't work on me, Angel." See what I mean? Iggy can't see, but if you don't know he's blind, he'll have you almost convinced that he can.

But Angel kept on looking up in those blind eyes. She had on that weird look of concentration about her when she…_Oh no_, I thought.

And then Iggy was pressing his fingers against his temples – with his eyes closed – which I thought was pointless, him being blind and all that, but I guess would've done the same thing if I was in his position and Angel was influencing me in letting her bring Total with her mind.

Angel refused to listen and continued with her mind-power thing. I could tell that Iggy was weakening just by the way his brows were furrowed and how he bit his lip in concentration. He was doing his best, but he was losing.

I sighed. "Angel."

That's all I had to do. Saying the kid's name like that made her stop just like that. I think she thinks I'm supposed to be queen of everything or something like that. I wouldn't want to disappoint her, so I go along with her fantasies.

But the only problem is is that I'm supposed to _save the world_. Or so the Voice tells me.

She turned her head up at me. "Max?'

I shook my head ever so slightly, but Angel caught it. Her head dropped, but she let go of Total. "You be good, okay, Total? And don't rip Celeste up, either." Cleste's the angel bear Angel got at a toy store in New York. That was only a month ago, but she's already so worn down like she had been with Angel for years instead of a month.

Total grumbled something unintelligible about being treated like "all the other regular dogs around here". But, as soon as he was free of his Angel, he rushed down the same hallway he had come from and into the doggy door of our hotel room. (I know. A doggy door in a hotel isn't always as...common.)

"Angel; one…Nudge; two…Gazzy; three…Iggy; four…" My eyes snapped open. (They were open before, but I hadn't realized that they were dropping because of lack of sleep until then.) "Fang!" I glanced around frantically for my right wingman until I realized that he wasn't with us anymore.

Not a week after we had reached Washington D.C, Fang had found his parents. We _were _looking for them, after all, but it was still kind of a shocker for him to actually _find _them. It wasn't hard, either. All he did was find the correct address and ring the doorbell. His parents are actually quite nice and not at all the drug addicts he thought they were. They also didn't seem to have a single problem with his wings, saying that they would "buy him wind-breakers" and all that other parent-ly crap. So, of course, he stayed with them and his eleven-year-old sister Fiona.

It broke my heart that he was actually leaving the Flock. We were such close friends and I had started to develop..._stronger _feelings, shall we say, of him. I cried a full day and night after he left. And not just because he left, too.

But because he didn't say goodbye.

I mean, we all knew he was going to leave once he found his real parents. Even I knew it was pointless throwing myself at his feet and begging him to stay; something that had, I have to admit, crossed my mind several times. But I at least thought he would give us a proper goodbye; not with a long speech or anything – he barely talks at all – but with a hug or something along that line.

But one morning he was there, and the next he wasn't.

All I found was a black feather on my dresser when I woke up one day.

Black was the color of Fang's wings. Raven black and dark as the night. I can remember them clear as day.

I turned my face from everyone else as I tried to blink back the tears gathering around my eyes and gulp down some fresh air. I wasn't going to let them down again. I had promised myself – and everyone else in the Flock, besides – that they could depend on me. That I would keep them safe.

"Max?" It was Angel's voice; soft and curious.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course," I replied, turning around and putting on the most dazzling smile that I could manage. "Why would you even ask me such a thing?"

"It's just that…"Angel's voice trailed off, but I knew what she was going to say: That I was having trouble keeping myself together – not to mention the Flock – after Fang left us.

Nudge nudged her and Angel quickly added a, "I'm hungry."

I smiled. _This _was something I could deal with. "What do you want? Actual breakfast food? Snacks? Junk food? Desserts? Candy?"

"Candy!" Angel cried, jumping up and down. "Candy! Can we have candy, Max? Please?"

"Well…" I looked around for help, but then felt a pang in my chest. It was always Fang I gave the look to, and now that he was gone, Iggy wasn't much help with that and Nudge was always looking around for something to blab about. "Oh, all right," I gave in. "But you have to have some actual breakfast first."

At this, Angel's spirits fell.

"But we can go to a fast food place like McDonald's if you want," I added.

_Oh, why not?_ I thought. _It isn't like they're going to get too fat to fly just from one meal. Besides, we used to Dumpster-dive all the time. They'll be fine._

_Very good, Max. You should let them have a little fun at times. Loosen up. They're just kids, like you. You should try it sometime, too._

I groaned. It was my amazing Voice. Of course. _Thanks, Voice, but _some_one needs to stay tense in case an Eraser pops up..._

"Oh, goodie!" Angel exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"So," Nudge said. "Are we taking the bus or flying?"

Actually, I had never thought of that. Usually, our method of transportation are our wings. But with as many people around in D.C…..

"I hate to say this, but: bus."

Everyone groaned. We had been living in our temporary "home" for more than two weeks already (did I mention that I have an unlimited credit card, thanks to the Voice?) and we were still not used to crowded places. We hated people and are all a bit claustrophobic (dog crates, anyone?). But Fang's the worst…

Fang. I sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Max?" Angel's voice piped up. She was chewing on her third hamburger. (Did I mention that we need to have at least 5,000 calories a day, something that is rarely achieved?) "How are we paying for this?"

I looked at her, momentarily forgetting the delicious aroma of my (fourth) fried chicken burger. My flock was so caring; I'm so proud of them.

"I have my ways," I replied. My way was depending on the bank card that my little Voice that talks in my head (What? You don't have one? They're real cheap at garage sales) had led me to find. It had my name on it and a large sum of money.

A sum that I don't know if it'll be replenished by my Voice. Speaking of which…

_You should trust me, Max. _

_ Yeah. Give me one reason why_, I shot back (in thought-speaking, of course).

_Because I know where your greatest wish is and I can get it._

_ My greatest wish? _But, of course, my Voice never answered an _important _question.

But I had an idea of what my "greatest wish" was. And I _definitely _wanted it. But until my freakin' fantasy came true, I had to focus on the present.

We were seated in a corner booth at McDonald's. It was twelve and people were crowding around for their noonday meal. Crowds. Why oh why do we have to always be in the middle of them?

_You'll get used to it, Max._

I didn't bother to say…well, actually _think_ something snotty back, because Nudge was asking me a question. "So where are we going afterwards, Max?" She had already finished her salad and two meatless burgers (long story) – just cheese, lettuce, and tomato – and was working on her two extra-large fries and jumbo-mumbo cookies'n'cream milkshake.

"Hmmm," I thought. I looked around for some inspiration. After Fang had left, I had decided to just live it day by day; "go with the flow", as the Voice had so often said.

_You're trying to avoid the fact that you've broken down enough so you can't take charge as you used to. As you were supposed to. _

_ From what? I'm perfectly fine!_

_ Don't doge it, Max. Face it. Go find Fang. Tell him your thoughts. How you feel._

_ And you think he'd actually come back to us just because of that? He's living a perfectly normal life! I'd make myself look like an idiot! If he came back, that would be great. But he won't. He's happy with Fiona and the rest of his family. _

_ You won't know for sure unless you try._

_ I know what the answer'll be._

_ Do you?_

Why does my Voice have to make my head spin around in circles every time we "talk"?

But enough of that.

We had nothing on our agenda but eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and find shelter; so I decided on making each day a "Fun and Relaxing Day"…until the Erasers arrive and start at attempting to kill us, anyways.

What's that? Oh. Erasers. Sorry. Well, since we're avian-human, they're lupine-human. Also known as half-wolf/half-human. They were made (yea; the six of us bird kids all grew up in _dog crates _at the School) like us; designed first as guards, but later on as hunters to kill…us.

"Borders," I decided.

"What's that?" The Gasman wanted to know.

"A bookstore," I replied. "It's just over there." I pointed across the street where a tall, two-story building with giant white block letters that read BOARDERS stood.

Gazzy groaned.

"It'll be good for us. None of us have gone to school…that much, anyways, so this is a perfect way for us to learn some thing. There's tons of textbooks, too, but I'm sure you'll want to read about Captain Underpants more."

The Gasman's face lit up at that.

"Do you suppose they have music devices? 'Cause I doubt it'll be as quiet as a library." It was Iggy…the blind guy.

"Look, Ig," I said, desperately raking my brain for something to make him feel better and wishing that Fang was here. "It looks like a pretty big building. I'm sure that we can find something for you." Meaning that he'll probably still end up sitting by himself, his ears giving him the bearings of the place.

"Sure," Iggy said, humoring me.

Actually, I was just humoring myself. I knew Iggy would kill me once we were alone.

Good thing it's a bookstore and supposed to be quiet.

I walked up and down the aisle of books. I couldn't believe this! I was in heaven! There were thousands of books here! Already, I had six stacked in my arms.

Just as I was about to join the others in the Reading Corner, I passed a section I knew that was worth checking out.

By the time I rejoined the Flock, I had added five more books – that weren't for me – into my now Leaning Tower of Books stack.

I plopped down on the fluffy couch beside Angel. She was curled up in a ball with a book called "Summer of the Swans". Of course. Her wings were as white as doves' and as pure as swans'.

Nudge was on the other side of Angel. She was attempting at "sitting like a lady", but I knew she was itching to cuddle up with her book of "A Book for Girls: Fashion, Romance, Friends – How to Deal With it All". If she had been holding the same book a year ago, I would've been up from my seat and scolding her how inappropriate the book was for her, but now I just sighed and turned my attention to Gazzy.

The Gasman was seated next to Iggy. He had a stack of Captain Underpants comics beside him. I had to stifle a laugh.

Iggy was as still as a statue. I could almost see his ears twitching to every sound and knew that he could probably walk around like a normal person if he wanted to.

I got up again, picked up the five books that I later got, and started walking. I plopped them on Iggy's lap and, without a word, sat back down and started reading _Vampire Academy_.

Because vampires have – guess what? – fangs. I know. I sound like a complete love idiot, but Fang _had _been part of my life since we were just sitting in dog crates next to each other.

I looked up to see Iggy fingering the book. I smiled. Two were how to read Braille. The rest were stories.

I finished all the books in _Vampire Academy_ and still couldn't decide on whether I should spend money on books or not.

"I'm going to find some other books," I whispered to no one in particular, knowing Iggy had heard me.

I didn't know what I was looking for, so I wandered around the store aimlessly and somehow ended up finding myself in the anime/manga section. Who knew Japanese comics were so interesting to a bird kid?

"Hey," a voice said, startling me out of _The Magician's Apprentice_.

I blinked and looked up. "Huh?"

A boy around my age was standing near me. He had dirty blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was wearing baggy pants, an oversized hoodie, and high-tops.

"I haven't seen you around before," he continued. "Are you new?"

I stated panicking. No kid that's not part of the Flock has voluntarily talked to me since…since ever. What was I supposed to say?

"Um, yeah. My dad's job requires him to move around a lot. Don't panic if you don't see me around anymore." I gave him an unconvincing half-smile.

"Oh." He sounded a bit disappointed, but why would he? "Well, I'm Tyler."

"Maxine," I said.

"Are you going to school around here?" Tyler asked hopefully. "'Cause my school's just a few blocks away."

I shook my head. "No. My mom likes to home school us." My mom probably dumped me in the trash, for all we know.

"Us?"

"Yeah. I have brothers and sisters, although we're all adopted."

"I…see. Your parents are really…"

"Nice. I know."

"Are you the oldest?"

"Yeah."

"Max?"

I spun around to see Angel standing behind me, holding tightly onto Celeste.

"Yes?"

"Iggy wants to get some books." Her eyes looked up at me, demanding an explanation for Tyler.

_He just started talking to me, Ange_, I thought.

Angel nodded. "Can we go soon, Max?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll come get you in a few. Be ready. I don't want to wait." I knew Angel would interpret this as "Be on your guard for Erasers".

Once Angel trotted away, I turned back to The Crazy Boy Who Didn't Know Who I Was. "Well, it was nice meeting you and all, but I have to go now."

"I'll walk you back home," Tyler offered. "Since you've just moved here," he added.

I shook my head and smiled. "Thanks, but no thanks. We're not going back to our apartment yet. Our parents are going to be out late today, so we're probably going to go get pizza and ice cream or something."

"Oh. Okay. Then bye, Max." And Tyler walked away; his figure slouched and hands in his pockets.

I found everyone all ready to go. Iggy was holding two books. They were both stories; one with many short stories and one with just a story.

"Thanks, Max," Iggy said after I paid for the two.

I smiled.

It's a good thing at least Iggy's happy, because _some_one needs to be and it sure isn't me.

I had bought the first three books to _Vampire Academy_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Did I mention that this is my first MR fanfic? No? Sorry. :D I hope you like it! R&R!**

**Chapter Three**

"Ig," I said, "You're in charge until I come back. Don't make me regret it, either, kay?" I put my hands on my hips and glared at Iggy, trying to sound tougher than I felt, but then I realized it was no use.

"Yeah yeah, Max," Iggy said, waving a hand at me like I was asking his _permission_ to leave. "I got it. You can go now." He was doing something with the Gasman on their bed.

I sighed and let myself out the door.

I don't like leaving the flock alone to be watched by a blind man and a talking dog (that usually just eats and sleeps), but I needed to clear my head.

The hotel we're currently living in is not the very best, but I'm trying to save my money, okay? It's situated on this street where there are these tiny, tiny stores squeezed in together.

Walking down the street, I ended up stopping at a store with boarded-up windows and a sign that looks like it's about to topple over any second.

"The Comics, Cartoon, and Anime World," I read. Wow. Nice name.

_You shouldn't be so mean, Max._

_I'm _not _mean; just thinking. And get out of my thoughts!_

_You're angry at Fang for leaving so you're trying to take it out on someone else. You shouldn't do that, Max. Remember yesterday when Nudge wanted to get a magazine and you – _

_Nope. Not talking – er, thinking about that. And get out!_

_Whatever you say, Max. But you shouldn't dodge your true feelings. It's not going to work that way._

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

I was so caught up with my "conversation" with the Voice that I didn't realize that someone had appeared right in front of me. "What? Oh, sorry," I said, blushing. Why am I blushing? "I was just thinking and I didn't see you. Sorry." Why am I saying so many sorrys?

"It's okay," the boy said.

"You look familiar. Did I see you before?"

The boy scrunched up his eyebrows in concentration. "Yeah. I definitely remember you. From where though….oh! The bookstore! I'm Tyler, remember?"

The bookstore?...The bookstore! "Oh! Yeah. I'm Max."

"I know," Tyler said, grinning. "I haven't forgotten." What does that mean? "So. You like comics too?"

"I was actually just wondering around," I admitted. "But I enjoy anime more." Well, I've read, like, _one _anime. Something about Japanese girls or something….

"There's anime in here." Tyler gestured to the store he was standing in front of. "CCA looks really ratty on the outside, but I can guarantee that they have a variety of books. I know Rob here, so maybe I can convince him to give you a discount, too."

Oh, what the heck. "Sure," I replied, following Tyler inside.

I was immediately greeted by the smell of…..books? Do books even _have _a smell? Well, if the did, then they would smell something like paper mixed with dust. Even though there was no dust in sight.

"The anime section's over there," Tyler said, waving his hand over to a corner with a giant sign hanging over it.

"No really," I laughed. "I could've _never _have realized that by the _giant sign_."

Tyler blushed, but he smiled still the same.

"I'll be over here if you need any recommendations or anything." And he started to browse through some books on a rack.

I made my way through the over-filled books to the anime section. Although I'm not very interested in reading, I must admit; this place sure did have some interesting books.

Not wanting to have Tyler's help be a waste of his time, I picked up a book called…what do you think?..._Vampires vs. Werewolves _before heading back to Tyler.

He had a stack of books balanced on one arm.

"You ready already?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I said. "My parents, um, don't have a lot of money because of all the moving so I usually borrow books." Wait. That reminds me….

I felt my pocket for money, but knew I didn't have any on me. Of course. I didn't actually expect to run into Bookstore Boy again and was just walking around to clear my head.

"No money?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "No. I wasn't exactly going shopping, anyways."

I started to put the book back on a shelf when Tyler's hand reached out. His fingers brushed mine for just a second, but I felt my heart jump up to my throat.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused. Both of our hands were holding onto _Vampires vs. Werewolves _now.

"I, um, thought that maybe I could buy you the book, 'cause you don't have money and all that," Tyler stammered.

"No. It's okay," I said. "Really."

"I insist on it," Tyler said. Grinning, he led me up to the checkout counter.

A man around his fifties was lounging on a chair behind the counter, reading who-knows-what. He straightened up when he heard Tyler plop the books on the counter and looked at the both of us; his eyes lingering on me.

"Tyler, who's this girl?"

"That's Max," Tyler said.

"Where'd you meet her?"

"A bookstore."

"Where's she –"

"Can you just please check these books out, Rob?" Tyler demanded. "We're both in a hurry right now."

Rob sighed but scanned the books. Tyler paid for them. He then grabbed onto my hand – he's holding my hand! – and quickly led me out the store.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, stopping two blocks away from CCA. "Rob hasn't had a girlfriend for more than thirty years and not many people come to CCA, much less girls."

"I…see," I managed. The whole time we were "escaping" Rob, I kept on wondering if he was an Eraser.

"Do you need to go home now?"

I was very well aware that he was still holding my hand. He must've realized it too, because his eyes slanted down and willed his hand to unlatch from mine. I don't know why, but I felt sad when he did. I tried to cover it up by responding to his question. "Um, yeah. Probably. My family'll be worried. I just said I was going for a walk."

"Okay. Where do you –" He caught himself just in time and said instead, "You probably don't want me to walk you home, do you?"

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. Really."

Tyler grinned. "All the girls at my school are so afraid of everything. That's why I like you; you're different." He _likes _me?

I blushed. "Oh. Thanks."

I started to turn away when Tyler grabbed my hand again. "Hey! Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

I contemplated this: I could say that I was busy, but why? I had nothing else to do. I shook my head.

"Great. There's a beach not far from here. I think you'll like it. Wanna meet there tomorrow; maybe around two?"

"Sure," I replied before I had the time to think.

"Perfect." Tyler turned around and headed the other way.

Oh. My. God. Is this a date? Did I just get asked out on a date?

There was just one thing that kept me from bursting with sunshine and happiness.

When will I ever forget?

Never.


	4. Chapter 4

**The chapters are pretty short (so far), so I'm hoping to update them quickly. If I don't finish by, well, 7/23/10 of US time, you'll have to wait a while. Sorry :D. I'm going on vaca. **

**Chapter Four**

"Come on Max," Nudge begged. "Please?" She sat at the foot of the bed I shared with Angel, her legs crossed.

"No," I said, gritting my teeth.

What were they asking for? To be on the same beach, at the same time, while I was there with Tyler. Which I absolutely, flat-out refused.

"I want to practice my underwater breathing," Angel pleaded.

"How are you going to hide your wings?" I demanded. "You can't just stick your head in there; people'll think you're nuts."

"You'll buy me a swimsuit," Angel said.

"Sweetie," I said, trying not to let frustration get to me. "How many times will you wear a _bathing suit_?"

"I'll be the only one swimming," Angel begged. "Iggy can go with Nudge and Gazzy'll stay between the water and where you…and Tyler are. Come on, Max."

"Yeah," the Gasman said. "I'll just build sand castles and stuff."

I shook my head.

And then I made the mistake of turning my head towards Nudge and Angel. The two had stuck out their lips and were making whimpering sounds. Puppy-dog faces.

I groaned. "What happened to the Bambi eyes?"

"Puppy-dog faces are more convincing," Nudge said. She probably just figured that out about….two seconds ago.

"Fine," I condescended. "But none of you are going out of my sight."

"I can't see," Iggy said.

"And you'll probably not even notice us once you start to make out with Tyler," Nudge muttered under her breath.

I glared at the both of them, forgetting that Iggy couldn't see my wrath.

Tyler was right. The beach – which I have no name for – was very close to where he supposedly thought I lived. It only took us a few minutes of flying before locating the small strip of sand and a slightly larger piece of water. An artificial beach, of course. Where would you find a real one in the middle of the capital of the United States of America, anyways?

Circling around, I tried to find a place on the beach where there weren't any people, but soon gave up on that and opted for the nearby woods instead.

"Do you think they allow dogs?"

I nearly crashed into the branches because I was startled out from my flapping. "Total!"

The talking dog had his snout sticking out from Iggy's arms.

I glared accusingly at Angel and Iggy.

"Well?"

"Well _what_?" I snapped at the dog.

"Do you think I can go?"

"Ig, do you have that vest and leash? Put those sunglasses on, too." When we were in Disney World (long story) we had gotten Total a vest that said "Guide Dog at Work. Do Not Pet. Thank You".

Total mumbled something about it being 90°F out.

"Do you want to go to the beach or not?" And I started towards the sound of voices and laughter.

"Mmm," I said, sighing. "This is very nice." I laid down on the towel Tyler had so thoughtfully brought along and slid on the shades I borrowed from Nudge.

"Max?" Tyler was lying just inches away from me, since the towel's not the biggest in the world.

"Yeah?" I was content to lie on this beach for the rest of my life.

Not.

"You know, you're very pretty in the sunlight."

I felt a blush creep up my neck. "Thanks," I muttered.

"No," Tyler corrected. "That's not right. You're _beautiful_."

But I couldn't register that in my brain. All I was thinking was: Fang never said that to me. I mean, he's not one for gushy emotion stuff, but, still. Not once. Nada. Zip.

Suddenly, I grinned. I needed to distract myself from all these Fang thoughts and knew that Tyler was the easiest way. "Really?"

"Really."

"I can be more beautiful, you know," I said teasingly.

"How?" But he already knew; his head was slowly inching towards mine, as mine was to his. I could feel his hand sliding behind me; up my back and to my neck. He started gently pressing my head closer to him.

And closer.

And closer.

Our lips had just barely touched when I blacked out.

**Yay! Cliffie! The next one's gonna be seriously short so I'll have it up by tomorrow.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry the chapter's so short. But this means the next one (which'll definitely be longer) will probably be out tomorrow. Probably. :D**

**Chapter Five**

I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes, I was well enough to think. Other times, it was all I could do to stop from screaming in pain. (It takes a _lot _for me to let loose any sort of pain-related emotion in front of my flock.)

From the way I was, I knew I was in a bed somewhere. I was so proud of my flock for taking charge after I had my…incident.

Many times when I was awake, I could hear voices talking softly to one another. Sometimes, I would feel my head being lifted and food or water being forced into my mouth (for some unknown reason, I couldn't open my mouth).

I didn't know how long this lasted.

After a couple of times of consciousness, I was tempted to get up, but decided against it. I might as well rest up, because a leader who can barely move won't be much help to the rest of the Flock in general, never mind during a battle with Erasers.

Then, one time when I was "awake", I did not hear the whole Flock. Instead, it was just the soft movement of one person.

_Iggy_, I decided. But that didn't make any sense: Sure Iggy was the oldest now that Fang was gone and I had stayed frozen as a statue for God-knows-how-long, but nudge was usually by his side.

Then I felt my head being lifted by a gentle yet strong hand.

"Drink this, Max," a quiet, reassuring voice said.

Could it be?

**Iggy: Could it?**

**Me: Could what?**

**Iggy: Could it be?**

**Me: Why are you quoting my story?**

**Iggy: Just asking could it be?**

**Me: You'll just have to wait. In the meantime, RnR!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yes! I finished it! Two in the same day! I'm amazing, I know. :D**

**Chapter Six**

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was not sunshine but a pair of deep, dark eyes staring intently at me from not six inches away.

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. It was then that I realized he'd already covered my mouth. _He knows me so well_, I thought_._ Still, it did not stop me from letting out a muffled "Fang!" all the same.

"I'll let go if you promise me you won't move too much," Fang whispered, his mouth right beside my ear and sending shivers of joy down my spine.

I nodded my head eagerly, accidentally banging it against the headboard but not caring. Fang was here! He was really, truly without-a-doubt here!

"Max." His voice said he was exasperated, but I could tell from the slight tightening around his eyes and jaw that he was worried.

"I just hit my head," I said. It sounded like an excuse. To what, I didn't know.

"But you're recovering."

"From what?" Now I was confused. I surely wasn't recovering from a slight head bump against the headboard.

"I'm not exactly sure," Fang admitted. "It's something deadly and poisonous. You're lucky I was there on the beach when you fainted."

The beach. The kiss.

"He made me faint," I accused, though I was pretty sure Tyler wasn't there.

"Max," Fang said in a low, dark voice that made my heart freeze in my throat. "That boy you...kissed was a robot. A very good robot, too. Good and smart. You wouldn't realize he's a robot unless you tried."

"Itex," I realized.

Fang nodded. "They're getting better at this sort of thing. They had coated his lips in some kind of poison."

"That still doesn't explain why you were at the beach."

"I think we both know the answer to that, Max."

"It's not going to work, Fang. It'll turn out into a disaster." I could hear my voice cracking with every word, hoping desperately that what I was saying wasn't true.

"How do you know? Will you at least try?"

I looked around me, taking in my surroundings for the first time since I was fully awake after my "accident". I was lying down in a bed. With Fang. The _same _bed. And his face was inches away from mine! I didn't even bother with clothes, though I'm sure Fang wouldn't strip me naked...would he?

While I was still trying to process that, Fang had moved closer and his lips were soon on mine. Soft and gently but with a Fanglike determination, it was the best kiss that I had had with him so far. (He had attempted at this several times before.) This time, instead of jumping up and flying away, I "went with the flow". Without me realizing it, we were pressed so close that we were entangled within each other. It was amazing and I loved every single second of it.

"Ahem."

In less than a second, I had jumped up and was glaring at four innocent-looking Flock members standing by the small bathroom connected to the hotel room.

"Wow," Nudge breathed.

_How long have you been there_, I thought. I can't sent direct mind messages to Angel, but she usually monitors what's going on around her, and I knew she was probably probing my mind for afterthoughts of the..._ex__perience_, shall we say.

_Since you woke up. Nudge didn't want us being there to "ruin things" for you. _Oh God, no.

_Why'd you come out?_

_'Cause Gazzy let loose_

Something then occurred to me. _Wait! Were you listening in?_

_Nudge made me. _Angel sounded apologetic, but I knew from experience that the sweet little gumdrops-and-sugar girl had _many_ layers in her. _I was practicing my transferring skills. _As in transferring what she heard in _my _brain (it's pointless to "eavesdrop" on Fang's brain) to the brains of Nudge, Iggy and Gazzy.

But before I could even open my mouth to start yelling at Nudge, I could feel Fang's gaze on me. We knew each other so well that the slightest difference in our expressions would be recognized by the other.

"Angel just told me that they were listening in," I whisper-explained. "Nudge made them; she didn't want the rest of the Flock to 'ruin things' for us."

I then realized a small change in Fang's expression; the corners of his mouth had quirked up slightly. Usually, he's completely impassive and rarely smiles, and has an even rarer chance of laughing.

"You knew," I realized, trying to raise a finger so I could accuse him of something. (I couldn't accuse him of coming back because, okay, I admit it; I wanted him to.)

Fang shrugged (is that even possible while lying on a bed?).

"You knew and you didn't tell me." I didn't know which was worse; Fang knowing or Fang not telling me.

"What would've happened if I did, Max? You would've pushed me away and jumped off the balcony when I tried. For once, just once, I wanted to see it like the truth. What you did at the cave and dock? I didn't believe that was really you."

My eyes widened. This was very uncommon for him; for Fang to express his feelings – in _any_ shape or form.

"Remember the time back at your mom's clinic? And you had wanted her to take out your chip?" Oh, no. "You were all dopey on Valium and said some stupid stuff to me." Here we go again. (Trust me; he's thrown this back at me before – he just couldn't resist.) "You said you didn't mean it afterwards. But you want to know something, Max?" I braced myself. "If I was in your position, I wouldn't have taken it back."

I opened my mouth to shout "That's not true!" but stopped.

Wait. WHAT?

But before I could get over that news, Fang said something even more shocking. He buried his face inside my curtain of tangled brown hair and lowered his voice so it was barely audible, even with his mouth right next to my ear.

"I love you, Max."

Don't think; just do.

"I love you too."

Oh crap. Why did I just say that? Now Fang's gonna laugh in my face for falling for such a stupid, obvious joke. I buried my face in my pillow.

But Fang just lifted my chin up again to face him and I saw that his eyes were dark and longing. He wasn't kidding after all.

And, I just realized, neither was I.

And at that time, I didn't care if the whole Flock was staring at us; that eight-year-old Angel was looking. When Fang kissed me again, all else disappeared. I felt like I was floating on a never-ending cloud to heaven; where everything is all happy and sunshine-y, with your boyfriend kissing you all the time…

"Um, Max? Fang?"

Crap. The Flock.

And then I was back to The Amazing World of Crap again.

I immediately broke apart to find Gazzy and Iggy doing some boy-related stuff with action figures. Nudge was picking at her pink feather boa. (Where had she gotten_ that?_) Angel was the only one still looking at us.

"I'm hungry, Max."

And I didn't know what was so funny, but Fang and I started laughing and couldn't stop no matter how hard we tried.

Mr. Rock was back and he had personality.

That loved me.

**Well, what do you think? RnR, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yes! I am finished! I know, the story's not that long, but it's my first and I just thought this would be a nice setting to end it. I hope you enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Seven**

"Max! Max!" Nudge exclaimed, pointing at a sign that read _Boat Rentals: $25 + $10 Each Additional Hour._ "Can we? Please?"

Normally, I would be worrying over the amount of money we had left, whether there were any Erasers around, and all the usual other stuff. Actually, I _was _doing exactly that, but one look at Fang made me realize that this was probably the perfect "alone" time we were looking for.

_And the kids really just need time to have fun._

_Voice? Is that you?_

But if it _was _the Voice, it didn't feel like talking to me anymore.

So I talked to Nudge instead. "Sure. Why not?"

We had had dinner in the motel's dining area. (What? We're not _rolling _in money.) It was nice setting, with all the calmness and the emptiness of people. Plus, it was a buffet tonight, so we had no waiters questioning us ordering excessively large amounts of food and where the heck our parents were.

Now, after the Flock's constant plead, we were strolling alone the same beach where I had kissed Tyler the (Gorgeous and Handsome and Amazing) Robot.

But it was Fang who was holding my hand. And staying with me as the rest of the Flock ran ahead to pick a boat.

"You know," Fang said, "You shouldn't give in so easily. Leaders don't do it."

I bristled. "Well, as far as I know, you're still my beta. Therefore, _you _should –" I stopped suddenly, seeing the teasing glint reflecting off of Fang's dark, obsidian eyes.

Sighing, I dropped his hand and started walking towards the rest of the Flock at a fast pace.

Sometimes, being with the love of your life could make you scream.

And not always in a good way.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Gazzy demanded.

"It's awesome, Max," Angel said, looking up at me. I didn't know whether she was trying to putting thoughts into my head so I turned away (not that it would help or anything).

"Yeah. It's actually pretty cool." Wow. This boat must really be something for _Nudge _to think its "cool" enough for her. She could probably be standing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and just yawn while a _rocket _blasted off into space (Iggy's another story).

"It's sleek. And red with white stripes." Iggy's hand was moving across the boat as he talked. Did I mention that he can _feel _colors?

"And a speedboat!" I exclaimed. "Besides, who's gonna drive it? 'Cause I'm sure not gonna."

"I can," Fang offered, and I glared at him.

He locked eyes with me and tilted his head slightly to the side.

I sighed. "We haven't made our decision yet," I told the Flock, and then stalked over to where Fang was standing.

"Listen, Max," Fang said, his voice lowered so only I could hear him. "This would be a perfect time for us to talk."

"About what? Everyone else'll be just three feet away."

"And probably too interested in the fish and Angel to pay much attention to us," Fang pointed out.

"So what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Like I said before; talk."

I hated giving in. Hated letting the other person win. But in this situation, I knew Fang too well and he was just as stubborn as I was. "Then you have to answer my questions."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "You have a lot?"

I had none, but I needed to come up with something to say at that time so it didn't seem like I backed down completely. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out." I gave him a flirtatious smile and wave and walked away.

God. Why did I do that? When did I ever become _girly_? That's Nudge's job! (Something she's still trying to force onto me.)

The whole Flock was looking at me when I returned to "the amazing and wonderful speedboat".

"Oh fine," I sighed.

Everyone let out whoops and cheers. Gazzy and Iggy high-fived one another.

_Angel? _I thought.

My baby and I went over to the man who was renting the boats.

Why Angel? Because speedboats can only be rented to people eighteen and older. Sure we're all lean and tall thanks to our bird DNA, but none of us have _any _sort of an ID. I hate to admit this, but – _some_times – it's good to have someone who can control people's minds; even if they _are _just eight.

"Hi," I said, placing my hands firmly on the small table between the man and me. "I'd like to rent that boat." I pointed to the red speedboat.

"May I see your driver's license? You _do _know you have to be at least eighteen to rent a speedboat, right?" **[A/N: I don't know if you really need to be, but just pretend for the sake of the story, kay? And did I mention their ages already? Because if I did and it clashes with what I'm saying here, than ignore it, kay? Sorry. :D] **

Angel looked up at me with hopeful eyes. I sighed and gave a short nod.

Angel smiled at the renter and a look of confusion crossed his face. "Y-you….you can have it for as long as you want." And, with trembling hands, he handed me the keys.

I grabbed them and hurried Angel back to the boat.

"I'll take those," Fang said, swinging over me to get into the driver's seat. His hand had swiped the keys from mine, our skin brushing for merely a millisecond but making my throat catch on fire.

I sighed. "Do you even know how to drive?" I asked Fang as I climbed in next to him.

"No, but there's no other boats out," he said, grinning slightly.

I braced myself for the worst.

"Max! Max! Come look1" Nudge squealed at me about some kind of fish or other. "It's amazing! I haven't seen anything like it! It's a fish, all right, but it's –"

"I'm gonna be sick," I mumbled.

We had only been riding around for half an hour, but I already needed to support my head with my arm.

"Are you okay?" Fang asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm completely fine," I said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "I'm just doing this for fun."

But when we locked eyes, a whole new communication was formed between us.

Wordlessly, I gently laid my head on Fang's shoulder and hook my arms around his right one.

_You're inseparable._

_Now's not a good time, Voice!_

I closed my eyes, but I could hear Fang said softly, "I'm here."

"I know," I whispered.

"I'll always be here."

"Good."

"Because, apparently, you have a breakdown if I'm not."

My eyes flew open. "Do not!" I denied.

Fang only smiled; a rareness in itself. "Its okay, Max; you don't need to lie. It happened to me, too," Fang admitted.

Learning that Fang was….unhappy about not being with me made me feel better. "What's your source?" I grumbled.

"Well, we both know I don't need to name Angel."

"True enough. Go on."

"I could actually say 'everyone', since you were mumbling my name every night" – I could feel my face heat up with embarrassment – "…or so Nudge –"

"Nudge!" I started to get up, but Fang's strong hand made me stop.

Still, I managed to make eye contact with the fashion princess, and she did not look so happy afterwards.

"Said," Fang continued. "But you know Iggy'll never rat you out, and the Gasman's too concerned with...other stuff to pay much attention to you _girls_." He sneered at that word, but I could tell he was joking. "Angel's been reading minds since she was what? Four? Three? We bascially know all her reactions to our private thoughts now."

"True. So what did Nudge tell you?"

"Well, I already mentioned the name-mumbling part" – I blushed again – "but almost every night or so, you would wait until you thought everyone else was asleep." Oh God, no. "And then, you'd crawl off on your own and cry." I can't _believe _Nudge told him that!

_Thanks, Nudge,_ I thought. _You made me sound like a complete weakling and idiot. Great. Just great._

_He's not done yet._

_Angel? _It's really hard to tell if the thought inside of me is really, well, me, Angel, or the Voice. Gets me confused a lot, too.

_Listen to him, Max, and you'll be glad Nudge told him._

I sighed. "Continue?"

"Well, Nudge somehow managed to film one of those scenes" – WHAT? That fashionista is gonna be _soooo_ dead! (Not literally, of course) – "and somehow sent it to my blog." Oh. Did I mention that Fang had a blog with, like, a zillion hits per day? "When I saw it...well, it just made me realize how much I missed you." Okay, so maybe Nudge did me a _slight _favor, but she's still not getting off scot-free.

I could see out of the corner of my eye Fang tapping the back of Iggy's hand twice. A blind mane was going to drive a _speedboat_.

But I didn't have a lot of time to worry about that, because, just a second later, Fang's mouth was on mine. And all I could think was _Oh God; I've missed him so much. How could I have survived?_

Slowly, Fang's strong arms slid around my waist, under my wings. We were sitting so close; I was practically on top of him.

When we finally broke apart, Fang didn't take back the wheel. Instead, we resumed our earlier position of me with my head on his shoulder and our arms linked. Except, this time, Fang had his face buried in my brown hair.

_This is how it's supposed to be_, I thought.

And then, I wondered if Fang was a telepath too, because the words he said right after my thought were:

"Because we're together at last."

**Well? What'd you think? Please, please, _please _RnR! This is my first finished and posted Maximum Ride fanfic. (I have written finished MR fanfics and posted MR fics that aren't finished [in other places]).**


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